From: Yakima Valley, Washington, USA
Varietal: Cinsault
Tasting Notes: Morgan Lee does it again in this awesomely refreshing, chillable red wine, excellently showcasing the pretty side of a lesser-known grape varietal called Cinsault. This cheery varietal is most widely known for being a blending grape in Provence, the Rhone Valley, and the south of France. Once you taste it here, you’ll wonder why the varietal hasn’t been more prominent in single-varietal bottlings. Almost Grenache-like in its vibrancy and bounty of red fruits (ripe, juicy strawberries, raspberries, red cherry) and baking spice, while non-fruity notes of green olive and a wet stone minerality add layers of texture and nuance. With all this prettiness wrapped in supple tannins, it’s a wine that calls for a slight chill and good times.
Pairing: The pure, red-fruited nature of the 2022 Two Vintners Make Haste Cinsault is built perfectly for versatility when it comes to pairing. Try it with grilled or roasted meats such as lamb chops or pork tenderloin, taco night, mushroom risotto, or pasta with tomato-based sauces. Leaning into Cinsault’s Mediterranean roots, we’re sharing Martha Rose Shulman’s recipe for Summer Ratatouille with Farro.
About. Morgan Lee, the winemaker behind Two Vintners, has a passion for producing wines that are true expressions of the vineyard and the grape varietal. His winemaking philosophy is centered around minimal intervention, allowing the wine to showcase its unique characteristics and terroir. Lee has been recognized as a rising star in the Washington wine industry, with accolades and articles by Seattle Met, Forbes, Jancis Robinson, Wine Spectator, Sip Magazine, and more; plus personal recommendations & placements from many local specialty wine shops and sommeliers- including us!
Make Haste Began as an accident when Morgan mistakenly pumped two barrels of Syrah into their Sauvignon Blanc in 2009. The resulting “blend” was put back to barrel while they figured out what to do with it. Those barrels were labeled ‘Make Haste’ because the accident occurred because Morgan was trying to work too fast. The name stuck, and they bottled and sold that wine for $13 at the holiday season, never telling anyone what was in it. The wine was so popular that they knew they needed to offer it again, but not as an accidental wine. Cinsault was something they’d started to make from Olsen Vineyard in 2007, and they always thought the wine was beautiful and outrageously unique. Today, Make Haste is one of the very few varietal bottlings of Cinsault anywhere in America!
The 2022 harvest brought unexpectedly higher than normal yields, and Two Vintners received more than double what they expected in Cinsault. This allowed the production team to conduct stem trials on the Cinsault as they sought to make the Make Haste even better. The fermentation took place with native yeast, and whole cluster inclusion ended up jumping from the normal 25-30% to 62% for the vintage. The wine aged for 15 months in neutral 500L French oak barrels. 350 cases were made.
The jumping man on the Make Haste label is a rubber stamp that Sally and Morgan used on their wedding announcements. The whimsical nature of the fat man doing the splits in a suit and tie seems to embody the history of Make Haste quite well.
